| Pages in topic: [1 2 3] > | Poll: Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young. Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.".
View the poll results »
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Freelancing is not for everybody. Freelancing is not just about freelancing. A freelancer juggles different balls, wears different hats and is responsible for marketing, invoicing, contracts, tax payments, to name just a few tasks. Freelancing requires experience and experience comes with time and practice. That’s why freelance work appeals to older people like me…
| | | | | Makes no sense to me, sorry | Jun 24, 2023 |
How is it advantageous, and why for the young? Talking specifically about freelance translation, you can only excel at it if you've made a name for yourself, if your customers know that you're better than those no-names who are always out there, offering to do the same job at a fraction of the price. The young don't usually have that asset. Maybe they can afford to do freelancing because they still have their parents' support. According to a philosopher (Vasily Rozanov), poverty becomes young ag... See more How is it advantageous, and why for the young? Talking specifically about freelance translation, you can only excel at it if you've made a name for yourself, if your customers know that you're better than those no-names who are always out there, offering to do the same job at a fraction of the price. The young don't usually have that asset. Maybe they can afford to do freelancing because they still have their parents' support. According to a philosopher (Vasily Rozanov), poverty becomes young age as long as it's not extreme poverty. My personal experience chimes in with these words; I can even add that the opposite is also probably true. However, the main message of proz seems to be that a freelance translator doesn't have to be poor even though the parents of some Chinese freelancer will surely not be happy with his or her career choice ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:12
Member (2008)
Italian to English
ProZ.com Staff wrote:
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Freelancing, in general, is more advantageous for the young.". View the poll results »
Freelancing, for or against, has got nothing to do with age.
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In general, then, considering all kinds of citizens growing up in any of the cultures in the world, from all periods of human history ...
No. Too difficult.
No opinion.
Being more specific, I've been a freelancer of one description or another for almost all of my working life. Even when I've worked regular hours in a specific place, it was under contract as a self-employed person.
It's worked out quite well for me. It might not suit somebody el... See more In general, then, considering all kinds of citizens growing up in any of the cultures in the world, from all periods of human history ...
No. Too difficult.
No opinion.
Being more specific, I've been a freelancer of one description or another for almost all of my working life. Even when I've worked regular hours in a specific place, it was under contract as a self-employed person.
It's worked out quite well for me. It might not suit somebody else. I don't think age has anything to do with it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 09:12
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
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| Disadvantageous | Jun 25, 2023 |
I would say it's more disadvantageous to the young. Freelancing seems attractive to young people: the freedom to work whenever you want or from your couch or whatever. But I think it's a mistake to jump into it right after you finished school. A young freelancer without any previous translation experience will deliver mediocre translations, will have no coaching from colleagues to become better fast and will hardly know anything about rates or how the translation world works.
| | | | Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 09:12
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Same for the old | Jun 25, 2023 |
Lieven Malaise wrote:
A young freelancer without any previous translation experience will deliver mediocre translations, will have no coaching from colleagues to become better fast and will hardly know anything about rates or how the translation world works.
All of this will also apply to old people entering freelancing for the first time.
I would say it’s disadvantageous for the young as a young person is supposed to go out there and experience the world, rather than being tethered to a screen.
| | | | | Let young speak for themselves | Jun 25, 2023 |
I am young (I hope 24 is still considered young) and for me freelansing was a huge break. Because of it I've worked on some huge projects and gained more experience than any company could have ever given to me. And the fact that I can manage my own time and decide which projects to take is a huge plus for me.
So yeah, I do belive that it is more advantageous for the young, but it is also not for everyone, but the age is definitely not the problem here.
[Edited at 2023-06-25 08:34 GM... See more I am young (I hope 24 is still considered young) and for me freelansing was a huge break. Because of it I've worked on some huge projects and gained more experience than any company could have ever given to me. And the fact that I can manage my own time and decide which projects to take is a huge plus for me.
So yeah, I do belive that it is more advantageous for the young, but it is also not for everyone, but the age is definitely not the problem here.
[Edited at 2023-06-25 08:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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On the contrary, it's much better to have some experience in various fields, before you start freelancing.
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The agree button is not working. I’ve sent a support ticket to the staff…
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 08:12
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
What a mess! I can't post any comments on Kudoz and for some reason I don't know I was writing something here related to a different thread and I'm positive sure I opened the right thread, not this one!
[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:33 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:34 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-06-25 15:37 GMT]
| | | | | Thank you for your reports. We are looking into this. | Jun 25, 2023 |
Dear Teresa, and all,
Thank you for your reports. We have been able to confirm the issue with the "agree" button and two related issues affecting the profile updater and the discussion box in KudoZ. They seem to all be tied to the same update, and we are working to have these functions back to normal as soon as possible.
Thank you for your patience, and don't hesitate to submit a support request if you need anything.
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I’ll be waiting patiently. Anyway, thanks for a quicker response than usual on Sundays...
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 08:12
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Many thanks, Andrea | Jun 25, 2023 |
Many thanks for looking into these issues during the weekend.
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
... A freelancer juggles different balls, wears different hats and is responsible for marketing, invoicing, contracts, tax payments, to name just a few tasks ...
I see what you mean but, in my case, I have an accountant do my tax payments and another person do my invoices. True, about once or twice every two years I read, edit and, if we agree, sign a contract, but pretty well the only hat I wear now is that of the translator.
I haven't had to look for clients for about twenty years, though I do have to negotiate with new ones, but these are both activities that are difficult for anyone without experience, whether young or old. I also did my own invoices, but I wouldn't say it was difficult.
Being a freelancer is the perfect choice for people like me who can't stand having a boss tell them what to do. And for those who like to live and work where they please. Age doesn't come into it.
Simon
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